Science Post Graduate Scholarship Fund (STEM Loan for Service) is a graduate level educational loan awarded to enrolled members of a federally recognized American Indian tribe or Alaska Native group OR provide documentation of ancestry to possession of one-fourth degree Indian blood of a federally recognized tribe pursuing graduate or professional level education. To be considered, applicants must possess a minimum 3.0 GPA and be pursuing a master, doctorate or professional degree in the STEM fields. Must be (or will be) pursuing a master’s or doctorate degree as a full-time degree-seeking student at an accredited graduate school in the United States. Exclusive consideration is paid to degree candidates in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields (may include: Medical and Life Sciences; Engineering and Physical Sciences; Mathematics and Computational Sciences, Earth, Environmental and Agriculture Sciences; and Technology) to be verified through the submission of current transcripts or proof of acceptance to an eligible program;

The specific purpose of the Science Post Graduate Scholarship Fund (SPGSF) program is to provide financial assistance to eligible American Indian and Alaska Native graduate and professional degree candidates to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) research in and opportunities for careers with Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and BIE funded organizations on and off reservation and tribal governments. Future employment with other federal and state agencies and private entities may be eligible if the organization’s primary mission is assistance and support to tribal communities or individuals.

Advanced education is the STEM fields is in greater demand than ever before, particularly in Indian communities. Many tribal lands are situated on lands with greater natural resources potential that requirement individuals with education, skills and expertise to sustainably develop resources. Indian students in STEM fields often recognize the importance of reinvesting their knowledge back into their home communities, bringing skills back to home tribes or other tribal communities. There is a high deficiency in STEMfields and urgency for research to understand why. A portion of the SPGSF will be directed towards graduate level (Masters and Doctoral) research to understand the barriers that discourage Indian students participation in these fields and expanding STEM opportunities at Tribal Colleges and Universities.

The SPGSF is a loan for service program to be served on a 1 per 1 basis, i.e., one year of funding per one year of service. The maximum amount of an award will be up to $30,000 per year. Actual award amounts and the number of awards will be determined based on the number of funded students at each academic level (master’s, professional and doctoral).

All applicants for the STEM Loan for Service must be in good academic standing. Please upload your most recent transcript verifying your academic eligibility for this program.

The AIGC STEM Loan for Service opportunity is primarily intended for individuals with a willingness and ability to accept employment with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, other federal agencies/positions primarily serving American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, state or local government agencies/positions primarily serving AI/AN communities or tribal governments. Secondarily, AIGC STEM Loan for Service recipients MAY be approved for employment in non-government organizations (NGO), Community Based Organizations (CBO) or other organizations where the STEM Loan for Service Fellow will work primarily with or within American Indian Communities. The BIE Office of Higher Education holds the sole responsibility for approval of all aforementioned positions which must begin within six (6) months of graduation; therefore, it is imperative that recipients understand that they should seek a variety of positions prior to completing their graduate program. Most BIE position openings can be reviewed at www.usajobs.com. Selecting the “I agree” box below indicates to AIGC and the BIE that applicants and eventual recipients of the AIGC STEM Loan for Service agree to seek and accept employment in the primary foci areas of this award. Please note that in some cases it may require that a recipient RELOCATE to obtain suitable employment for this service related payback.

In 500 words or less, please describe how your selected STEM major will apply to the intent of the STEM Loan for Service program (see previous question) as it applies to our personal committment to serve the American Indian and Alaska Native community.

Please list up to four (4) community engagement opportunities in which you have recently engaged

Dates of this community engagement

Describe the activities in which you participated for this community engagement opportunity

Name of Organization

Please list up to four (4) leadership roles you have held in recent years

Dates of leadership role

Describe the activities associated with this leadership role

Leadership role/position/title

Name of organization

LFS: Please provide contact information for someone who can address questions regarding your academic strengths and abilities. Make sure you enter a correct email address for the person you named to be your reference.

LFS: Please provide contact information for someone who can address your community service and leadership history and potential. Make sure you enter a correct email address for the person you named to be your reference.

Program Plan: If you have a Program Plan (a map of coursework by terms toward degree/diploma completion), please upload it here. This will help program staff to determine your persistence and academic success for future funding.

Please tell us how you heard about the American Indian Graduate Center and our opportunities. This information will help to inform us in future outreach activities.